Stormwater Asset Management for Regulatory Compliance and Practical Operations and Maintenance
Focus Area
Water Quality/Wetlands
Subcommittee
Natural Resources
Status
Current
Cost
Unknown
Timeframe
Unknown
Research Idea Scope
Transportation agencies across the nation are charged with operating and maintaining stormwater infrastructure associated with roadways to ensure runoff is efficiently removed from impervious surfaces and discharged to nearby waterbodies and that discharges meet the requirements of the Clean Water Act. Removal of runoff is essential to the safety of the traveling public and the resiliency and stability of the roadway network. The discharge of runoff from roadways can have significant impacts to the water quality of receiving waterbodies and is therefore heavily regulated at the state and federal levels. Comprehensive mapping of stormwater infrastructure is required as part of compliance with stormwater regulations with the goal of understanding sources of pollutants and interconnections. An inventory of stormwater assets and associated data not only ensures compliance with regulations, but also lays the groundwork of a stormwater asset management program. The purpose of this Synthesis is to understand the scope of regulatory requirements associated with stormwater mapping and identify state of the art practices for developing a stormwater inventory program to support regulatory compliance and asset management. This will include the following steps: • Compile regulatory requirements related to stormwater mapping from DOTs across the country • Compile needs related to data gathering and identify tools used to support stormwater asset management • Identify an example template data schema to support regulatory compliance and asset management • Review best practices for building a stormwater inventory • Understand future research needs for creating successful stormwater asset management programs This research will review and compile mapping requirements associated with stormwater regulations from various state DOTs in different EPA regions. While each state has stormwater regulations, they can differ substantially from state to state on specific requirements. Requirements related to stormwater mapping can differ, but the objectives and potential benefits remain the same. Additionally, stormwater regulations are re-issued roughly every five years and are designed to be incrementally more prescriptive. With that in mind, understanding what is required in states with stringent requirements may allow states to collect important information once, anticipating future requirements. Understanding what is required in other states can also help DOTs to negotiate with regulatory agencies and result in more practical requirements.
Urgency and Payoff
The benefits of a comprehensive stormwater inventory can often go beyond meeting the requirements of stormwater regulations. Gathering data on condition of assets, maintenance performed, and performance needs can allow DOTs to analyze data and develop an efficient and effective operation and maintenance program. Additionally, this data can assist with communicating information to the regulators and the public and make informed decisions and budget requests. This research will gather the data needs that can lead to a comprehensive asset management program but are not related to stormwater regulatory requirements.
Submitted
04/24/2019